How hybrid learning works at Melbourne school

“Cire Community School ’ s new hybrid campus in Lilydale, Melbourne, has just finished its first term educating 40 students. Students, ranging from Year 7 to Year 10, participate in school four days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday); two days in-person and two days online. As part of the hybrid model, some students attend VET courses or work experience on Wednesday, while others use it to recharge their ‘social batteries’ or access supports such as wellbeing services, care teams, or one-on-one teacher sessions. Each day is broken up into three one-and-a-half hour sessions, with scheduled brain breaks, that also include two half-hour recesses. Online days are kept as close to that schedule as possible. The model champions trauma-informed education and is designed for students who have faced adversity that has impacted their learning and behaviour. Teachers prioritise safety, strong relationships, emotional regulation and individual learning plans to help students re-engage with education. Denise Raven, who teaches Years 9 and 10 at the Lilydale campus, stressed the alternative learning method is not simply for students with behavioural issues. “There ’ s a lot of misconceptions as to what type of student would come here. It's a very personalised process,” she told Education Review . “These aren ’ t students who have been expelled or suspended; these are students who have not connected with education in that formal setting. “Our students are cooperative, they are productive, and they are amazing individuals that have these unbelievable hidden talents that need to be harnessed and supported and grown.” Years 7 and 8 teacher Nathan Percy said he starts the day with emotional regulation strategies to connect with students. “We start each day with a check in with the kids. We use zones of regulation to identify where we are all at. Not just the students, but staff as well,” he said. “That gives students an opportunity to share, in a safe environment, how they might be feeling that day, and that gives us knowledge as to how we can approach them if they ’ ve had a bad morning, or might not have got much sleep.” More on this story: No checks on homeschooled children | Alternative learning reengages students | Suspending and expelling students isn’t a solution, study finds Students then engage in a ‘positive primer’ to encourage conversation and discussion. That might include completing the New York Times Wordle together, or answering a ‘would you rather’ question. “Anything to get the kids talking and sharing with each other is really important,” Mr Percy said. After that, students move on to the curriculum work for the day. “A lot of our students come to Cire because they haven ’ t been able to succeed in a mainstream setting, and some of them may have been not in a school setting for a number of years,” he said. “It's really important to build that connection and rapport with them first and foremost, because they may have had negative experiences with mainstream [schools] or they might have some anxieties around learning.” Online learning, which most Covid-era students might associate with blank Zoom screens and silent breakout rooms, are kept interesting with creativity, Ms Raven said. “We ’ re both very charismatic. If there is a void online, we fill that void. We create that atmosphere in that environment,” she said. “When you are teaching online, it ’ s how creative you can be. That ’ s where we have a lot of empathy for our students. “We can walk in their shoes and understand what it ’ s like from that learner perspective. We aim to make sure it ’ s really enjoyable. We ’ re constantly checking in with them and getting feedback.” Cire has a goal of truly personalised learning in the context of a wider education system riddled with workforce shortages, behavioural issues and teacher burnout. “Mainstream education can be regimented in its structure, but this model of personalised learning has a real focus on meeting the students where their needs sit,” Ms Raven said. “I think more and more, the educational framework needs to have that lens.”

Summary generated from the RSS feed of Education Review AU. All article rights belong to the original publisher. Click through to read the full piece on www.educationreview.com.au.